Hot Links: Sooners face West Virginia, OU Hoops rebounds

Nov 12, 2022 - 2:46 PM

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What’s good?

Happy belated Veterans Day to all.

Another week, another game I am trying to convince myself where something could “click” for this defense just for the storyline of it all. However, at this point I will be the negative one and just tell you if you expect anything else from this defense and then are mad or disappointed... that’s on you.

Offense, however? Well they should be able to go this weekend. West Virginia’s defense is not good. Do you remember Iowa State and Hunter Dekkers? Yeah, last week they hung 31 on this team. So to be fair, anything under 40 is a disappointment.. and obviously they will need every one of them.

I am excited to see the story of the season give another run at it. No, not Brent or Lebby. Not Gabriel. Obviously, I am referencing Eric Gray. He has been fun, man. Fun all year. It is so fun to watch him run the football this season. Last year, if I am honest, I made fun of Eric Gray a lot. Did you ever play Madden or NCAA football with that buddy who only had one move when he was running the ball? Spin move or juke, whatever it was he did it every time he ran the ball?

Eric Gray loved himself the dead leg. We saw it every Eric Gray run. So predictable, and as the season went on, less and less effective. Now? Eric Gray has more moves than I have seen in my time covering an OU running back. Now hear me out — he is nowhere near the best. But, I think he has more “options” to make a guy miss than anyone not named Joe Mixon. He’s been very, very fun and I feel honored to see another game.

OU Links

• Porter Moser and the Oklahoma Sooners got themselves into the win column Friday night, but it wasn’t easy. Everything was a struggle on offense in route to a 66-58 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. For what it’s worth. UAPB took TCU to the brink in Fort Worth this past Monday, falling by a score of 73-72. At any rate, it was an ugly performance from OU, but after Monday, we’ll take the W.

• Rough Riders have returned. It’s been eight years now... these uniforms aren’t good, right? We all know these kinda suck, right? The new unity uniforms I liked. The original ones are obviously great. These leave a little lacking.

• Sooners have already lost two commitments in the 2023 recruiting class, and we will talk about the one from this past week later, but another could be coming. This one from offense.
• Gabriel’s time to respond is now. We will have a lot of Gabriel content in the links this week. Oklahoma leaned into Gabriel this offseason quickly when Caleb Williams entered the portal. That choice is getting scrutinized more as the days go by.
• Softball recruiting rolling. Best program on campus right now and that isn’t even insulting. Sooners are on a roll and the program that everyone wants to be emulate. OU is rocking with another season starting soon.
• Colton Vasek flipped. Texas legacy. Austin resident. Frankly, we shouldn’t be surprised. However, this is the price you pay when you lose to Texas 49-0. All the context in the world, I think every Sooner fan knew eventually they would have to pay the piper. Piper paid. Brent will move on and Oklahoma fans should do the same.

• Brent said something we all know to be true. He would take a locker room full of Drake Stoops. Stoops is the best run blocking Sooner in this skill position room? Brayden Willis might have something to say. All is fair. Hoover writes about that quote and the locker room.
• Barry Tramel weighs in on Gabriel’s performance and where he goes from here. The NFL was always the hope for Gabriel leaving UCF, but I don’t think that this season has removed the any of the concerns that were there before. We could be in year one of three of Gabriel’s starting season’s in Norman, although Jackson Arnold will likely have some say in that.
• Women’s basketball might be the most fun program running right now. Seriously. Once softball gets going that mantle will change hands, but for today, I think they are the most fun thing to watch. Ryan Aber broke down their roster in The Oklahoman.
• Gabriel ready to rebound. Let’s see if he can outscore West Virginia tomorrow.

• The elephant in the room is that Oklahoma is heading to the SEC. Even the crimson glasses worn by the most crimson fan can’t watch Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama and think, “Yup, we are close”. The roster is four or five years away and the SEC is likely closer than that. Tramel discusses the transition ahead for Oklahoma.
• Royalty in the house of the Oklahoma City Thunder game. It is very cool that Alo will be hanging around again in the metro. Consider me a softy, but I like people like my cousins to have an awesome female athlete to look up to.

Anything else going on?

• Special teams are overrated. Don’t you all remember? Lincoln Riley still does.
• Enjoy Twitter while you can. This is insane how this thing has unraveled under the past 72 hours.

• So, Oklahoma State had a rough start to their season as well. Something in the water here in Oklahoma?

Talk to you knuckleheads in the morning.